There was breast versus bottle. Then crib-sleeping versus co-sleeping. Now the latest infant-rearing technique to stir controversy and confuse even the most confident BabyBjorn-clad parents is swaddling.

For the uninitiated, swaddling involves snugly wrapping infants in a blanket to restrict movement. It’s been around for thousands of years (see Bible, Jesus), but it has grown steadily in popularity even in the past decade.

Swaddled babies, according to proponents of the technique, sleep longer, fuss less and have a lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

As the practice gains a bigger following, however, questions about safety are prompting some hospitals to speak out against it and are causing many converts to have second thoughts.

“Really, [parents] shouldn’t be doing this,” said Maureen Luther, a pediatric physiotherapist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. “[Swaddling] is really not that beneficial.”

Few, if any, Canadian institutions endorse or recommend the practice and some of the country’s largest maternity hospitals, including Mount Sinai Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, as well as the agency that oversees perinatal services in the province of B.C., are moving away from swaddling healthy newborns. (In most institutions, it is still recommended that premature infants or those exposed to drugs in utero be swaddled to provide comfort.)

Several studies have linked swaddling to a higher risk of respiratory infections and, if done improperly, hip dysplasia. Swaddled babies may overheat, especially if their heads are partially covered, which can cause hyperthermia and even death. There is ongoing debate over whether swaddling prevents infants from waking easily, hinders weight gain or, most troubling, increases the chance of SIDS.

There’s also a fundamental question of whether the very function of swaddling – keeping the movements of infants restricted in order to soothe – is good for babies, or is just good for parents.

“To have them pinned down by a tight blanket doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Susan Guest, a clinical nurse specialist in Maternal Newborn Care at Mount Sinai. “You need to know that, developmentally, they need to move, they need to be able to put their hand in their mouth.”

One of the factors complicating the issue, according to medical experts, is not enough quality research into swaddling has been done.

The rise of the “Back to Sleep” campaign in the 1990s, which advised parents to place babies on their backs when sleeping to prevent SIDS, set the stage for the increase in swaddling. Many parents found their babies had a difficult time sleeping on their backs or would startle themselves into waking up, so they turned to swaddling.

In 2002, pediatrician Harvey Karp published the bestseller The Happiest Baby on the Block that tells parents swaddling is key to reducing crying and helping babies sleep on their backs.

“That’s why I recommend [swaddling] for all babies,” Karp said in a recent interview. “Even a calm baby will sleep longer and be calmer.”

Many other doctors and parents agree with Karp’s thesis, that the benefits of swaddling outweigh the potential risks. “If the swaddling is done properly, there seems to be an additional benefit of better sleep,” said Denis Leduc, past-president of the Canadian Paediatric Society.

Heather Lochner, who lives in Etobicoke, Ont., swaddled her son and, later, her daughter, even though a sleep consultant told her that infants need to learn to sleep without swaddling. “I had to trust my instincts,” she said, “and trust that I knew what was best.”

There is some research that links swaddling to better sleep and less crying. But despite what proponents say, the results aren’t conclusive. One 2006 study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, for instance, found the difference in crying time between swaddled and unswaddled infants was 10 minutes.

Many believe swaddling should prevent SIDS because it encourages parents to put babies on their backs. But some pediatric experts are concerned that swaddled infants can overheat, end up with a blanket over their faces or have a difficult time rousing – all SIDS risk factors.

A growing segment of the pediatric medical community sees swaddling as a crutch for parents, even though it might not be what’s best for the baby. And similar to driving around the block until baby falls asleep, once swaddling becomes part of the routine, it’s difficult to stop.

Yoni Freedhoff, an Ottawa doctor, had a “very long transition” to get his firstborn daughter unswaddled. He and his wife only swaddled their second for about a month and didn’t at all with their third – and found they had no major sleep issues. “The more requirements, I think, that you give a child in order for them to be able to fall asleep, the more things can go wrong in terms of your child not falling asleep,” he said.

One major concern revolves around a supposed benefit of swaddling. When babies’ limbs are confined, they’re less likely to startle themselves awake, a natural reflex found in all infants. “Are you really supposed to be preventing the [startle reflex]? Is it not there as a protective mechanism?” Luther asked. “It keeps the engine going.”

Aside from safety, some pediatric experts say swaddling prevents babies from moving around, an important part of development. “I don’t think [swaddling] is anything that we’ve dealt with or would cross our minds or think of recommending for a healthy baby,” said Aideen Moore, a neonatologist at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. “It’s almost a form of restraint.”

However, the practice is unlikely to become less common, in part because there are few definitive recommendations, pro or con. Even the Canadian Paediatric Society hasn’t taken a stance. Meanwhile, many nurses still show parents how to swaddle their newborns. “We just need to change old practice,” Guest said. “Those changes take years and years.”

One Canadian organization, Perinatal Services B.C., published guidelines last year that warn against swaddling because of the potential risks. There has since been a noted decline in the popularity of swaddling in B.C., according to executive director Kim Williams.

But across the country, few parents are hearing that message. Betsy Hilton, whose son, Theo, was born Aug. 31, was taught to swaddle in the hospital. It helps her son sleep up to three hours at a stretch.

“My feeling on swaddling is this is really working,” Hilton said. “I’m very reluctant to mess with a good thing.”

I don't swaddle DS, never have. The reason for this is because he would scream if I even tried and would easily break out (I was never good at swaddling) and because I was afraid of inhibiting growth and damaging his hips. What do you guys think and do you or do you not swaddle?

There was breast versus bottle. Then crib-sleeping versus co-sleeping. Now the latest infant-rearing technique to stir controversy and confuse even the most confident BabyBjorn-clad parents is swaddling.

For the uninitiated, swaddling involves snugly wrapping infants in a blanket to restrict movement. It’s been around for thousands of years (see Bible, Jesus), but it has grown steadily in popularity even in the past decade.

Swaddled babies, according to proponents of the technique, sleep longer, fuss less and have a lower risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS).

As the practice gains a bigger following, however, questions about safety are prompting some hospitals to speak out against it and are causing many converts to have second thoughts.

“Really, [parents] shouldn’t be doing this,” said Maureen Luther, a pediatric physiotherapist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto. “[Swaddling] is really not that beneficial.”

Few, if any, Canadian institutions endorse or recommend the practice and some of the country’s largest maternity hospitals, including Mount Sinai Hospital and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre in Toronto, as well as the agency that oversees perinatal services in the province of B.C., are moving away from swaddling healthy newborns. (In most institutions, it is still recommended that premature infants or those exposed to drugs in utero be swaddled to provide comfort.)

Several studies have linked swaddling to a higher risk of respiratory infections and, if done improperly, hip dysplasia. Swaddled babies may overheat, especially if their heads are partially covered, which can cause hyperthermia and even death. There is ongoing debate over whether swaddling prevents infants from waking easily, hinders weight gain or, most troubling, increases the chance of SIDS.

There’s also a fundamental question of whether the very function of swaddling – keeping the movements of infants restricted in order to soothe – is good for babies, or is just good for parents.

“To have them pinned down by a tight blanket doesn’t make a lot of sense,” said Susan Guest, a clinical nurse specialist in Maternal Newborn Care at Mount Sinai. “You need to know that, developmentally, they need to move, they need to be able to put their hand in their mouth.”

One of the factors complicating the issue, according to medical experts, is not enough quality research into swaddling has been done.

The rise of the “Back to Sleep” campaign in the 1990s, which advised parents to place babies on their backs when sleeping to prevent SIDS, set the stage for the increase in swaddling. Many parents found their babies had a difficult time sleeping on their backs or would startle themselves into waking up, so they turned to swaddling.

In 2002, pediatrician Harvey Karp published the bestseller The Happiest Baby on the Block that tells parents swaddling is key to reducing crying and helping babies sleep on their backs.

“That’s why I recommend [swaddling] for all babies,” Karp said in a recent interview. “Even a calm baby will sleep longer and be calmer.”

Many other doctors and parents agree with Karp’s thesis, that the benefits of swaddling outweigh the potential risks. “If the swaddling is done properly, there seems to be an additional benefit of better sleep,” said Denis Leduc, past-president of the Canadian Paediatric Society.

Heather Lochner, who lives in Etobicoke, Ont., swaddled her son and, later, her daughter, even though a sleep consultant told her that infants need to learn to sleep without swaddling. “I had to trust my instincts,” she said, “and trust that I knew what was best.”

There is some research that links swaddling to better sleep and less crying. But despite what proponents say, the results aren’t conclusive. One 2006 study published in the Journal of Pediatrics, for instance, found the difference in crying time between swaddled and unswaddled infants was 10 minutes.

Many believe swaddling should prevent SIDS because it encourages parents to put babies on their backs. But some pediatric experts are concerned that swaddled infants can overheat, end up with a blanket over their faces or have a difficult time rousing – all SIDS risk factors.

A growing segment of the pediatric medical community sees swaddling as a crutch for parents, even though it might not be what’s best for the baby. And similar to driving around the block until baby falls asleep, once swaddling becomes part of the routine, it’s difficult to stop.

Yoni Freedhoff, an Ottawa doctor, had a “very long transition” to get his firstborn daughter unswaddled. He and his wife only swaddled their second for about a month and didn’t at all with their third – and found they had no major sleep issues. “The more requirements, I think, that you give a child in order for them to be able to fall asleep, the more things can go wrong in terms of your child not falling asleep,” he said.

One major concern revolves around a supposed benefit of swaddling. When babies’ limbs are confined, they’re less likely to startle themselves awake, a natural reflex found in all infants. “Are you really supposed to be preventing the [startle reflex]? Is it not there as a protective mechanism?” Luther asked. “It keeps the engine going.”

Aside from safety, some pediatric experts say swaddling prevents babies from moving around, an important part of development. “I don’t think [swaddling] is anything that we’ve dealt with or would cross our minds or think of recommending for a healthy baby,” said Aideen Moore, a neonatologist at Toronto’s Hospital for Sick Children. “It’s almost a form of restraint.”

However, the practice is unlikely to become less common, in part because there are few definitive recommendations, pro or con. Even the Canadian Paediatric Society hasn’t taken a stance. Meanwhile, many nurses still show parents how to swaddle their newborns. “We just need to change old practice,” Guest said. “Those changes take years and years.”

One Canadian organization, Perinatal Services B.C., published guidelines last year that warn against swaddling because of the potential risks. There has since been a noted decline in the popularity of swaddling in B.C., according to executive director Kim Williams.

But across the country, few parents are hearing that message. Betsy Hilton, whose son, Theo, was born Aug. 31, was taught to swaddle in the hospital. It helps her son sleep up to three hours at a stretch.

“My feeling on swaddling is this is really working,” Hilton said. “I’m very reluctant to mess with a good thing.”

I don't swaddle DS, never have. The reason for this is because he would scream if I even tried and would easily break out (I was never good at swaddling) and because I was afraid of inhibiting growth and damaging his hips. What do you guys think and do you or do you not swaddle?

We swaddled DS for 3 months (until he was rolling over consistently). His Moro reflex was so insane there was no way he was getting any sleep until it subsided. I figured a newborn needs sleep to grow and develop and I would do whatever it took to get him to sleep.

We used sleep sacks so the swaddle was only the upper half of him, giving his hips plenty of room to move in the "sack" part.

Transition was relatively painless and took maybe 2 days.

I love the part in the article that says the difference between swaddled and unswaddled babies is 10 minutes of crying. All I could think of was when that newborn is going to sleep 7 times a day, that 10 minutes can be horrendous!! lol

We swaddled DS for 3 months (until he was rolling over consistently). His Moro reflex was so insane there was no way he was getting any sleep until it subsided. I figured a newborn needs sleep to grow and develop and I would do whatever it took to get him to sleep.

We used sleep sacks so the swaddle was only the upper half of him, giving his hips plenty of room to move in the "sack" part.

Transition was relatively painless and took maybe 2 days.

I love the part in the article that says the difference between swaddled and unswaddled babies is 10 minutes of crying. All I could think of was when that newborn is going to sleep 7 times a day, that 10 minutes can be horrendous!! lol

I haven't had my baby yet so I have no experience but with my nephew which isn't really practical parenting experience. From my understanding though is really you would only swaddle if the baby needed it for comfort. And if so, once the baby can break out of the swaddle don't do it anymore. So I don't see the real harm in it. I can see if you're constantly restricting the baby or swaddling excessively right maybe, but not while sleeping for the first weeks.

I haven't had my baby yet so I have no experience but with my nephew which isn't really practical parenting experience. From my understanding though is really you would only swaddle if the baby needed it for comfort. And if so, once the baby can break out of the swaddle don't do it anymore. So I don't see the real harm in it. I can see if you're constantly restricting the baby or swaddling excessively right maybe, but not while sleeping for the first weeks.

My son started Pilling himself up at 4 months, standing at 6 and walking by 11 months. My cousin who Had her Dd swaddled 24/7 is now 9 months and can't do any of the above. I wonder if it's due to always being swaddled. She also has no flexibility. She can't touch her toes to her nose or even to her belly.

My son started Pilling himself up at 4 months, standing at 6 and walking by 11 months. My cousin who Had her Dd swaddled 24/7 is now 9 months and can't do any of the above. I wonder if it's due to always being swaddled. She also has no flexibility. She can't touch her toes to her nose or even to her belly.

I swaddled my newborns. It comforts them, and once they start trying to wiggle out, you know it's time to stop. The blanket was no where near their head and face and I'm aware of not overheating them. This doesn't seem like a concern to me in the least.

I swaddled my newborns. It comforts them, and once they start trying to wiggle out, you know it's time to stop. The blanket was no where near their head and face and I'm aware of not overheating them. This doesn't seem like a concern to me in the least.

Agreed. I was always aware of the temperature and nothing calms down babies swaddling, shooshing, and all that other stuff. My son was always taken out of the swaddle and had lots of active time when he was awake.

Agreed. I was always aware of the temperature and nothing calms down babies swaddling, shooshing, and all that other stuff. My son was always taken out of the swaddle and had lots of active time when he was awake.

I never understood swaddling. We swaddled at the hospital ONLY. and that was because that's what the nurses insisted on! As soon as we got home, we never swaddled again. It just felt unnatural to me. That said, my daughter was the WORST sleeper ever and woke frequently so I often wondered if swaddling would've helped that. At the end of the day, seems it's constantly changing what we should and shouldn't do. Hard to keep up!! Just have to do what feels right for your own baby I guess.

I never understood swaddling. We swaddled at the hospital ONLY. and that was because that's what the nurses insisted on! As soon as we got home, we never swaddled again. It just felt unnatural to me. That said, my daughter was the WORST sleeper ever and woke frequently so I often wondered if swaddling would've helped that. At the end of the day, seems it's constantly changing what we should and shouldn't do. Hard to keep up!! Just have to do what feels right for your own baby I guess.

i stopped reading at the point where it said it was just for the parents comfort, not the baby's. what a load of horse puckey. i swaddle myself when i sleep because its damn comfy. i always have. mine like it, so i do it. i seriously just have no words for how much this baffles me. of all the things.

i stopped reading at the point where it said it was just for the parents comfort, not the baby's. what a load of horse puckey. i swaddle myself when i sleep because its damn comfy. i always have. mine like it, so i do it. i seriously just have no words for how much this baffles me. of all the things.

I swaddled DS for about 4 months. He was born very small and gained weight excruciatingly slowly. His Moro reflex was so strong, he'd never sleep longer than 10-15 minutes at a time without it. He was only swaddled when sleeping, and has had zero physical issues. He walked at 12 months and is still a very flexible kid at 26 months. And breaking the swaddle was super easy- we kept his legs out the first night, one arm the next, and the last night we just velcroed the blanket over his chest. Fourth night he was swaddle free, and while he was a little restless for a few nights, he still slept. I think swaddling may not be for everyone, but it worked without issue for us.

I swaddled DS for about 4 months. He was born very small and gained weight excruciatingly slowly. His Moro reflex was so strong, he'd never sleep longer than 10-15 minutes at a time without it. He was only swaddled when sleeping, and has had zero physical issues. He walked at 12 months and is still a very flexible kid at 26 months. And breaking the swaddle was super easy- we kept his legs out the first night, one arm the next, and the last night we just velcroed the blanket over his chest. Fourth night he was swaddle free, and while he was a little restless for a few nights, he still slept. I think swaddling may not be for everyone, but it worked without issue for us.

I swaddle bc at 12 weeks dd still won't sleep without it. But that's the only time she's swaddled so the rest of the day she can move her arms around freely. I try every once in awhile to put her down without swaddling but it doesn't work well. And I mostly use the halo sleep sacks that have room for her legs to still move around. I think like a lot of things with parenting there are ways to do it right and ways to do it wrong.

I swaddle bc at 12 weeks dd still won't sleep without it. But that's the only time she's swaddled so the rest of the day she can move her arms around freely. I try every once in awhile to put her down without swaddling but it doesn't work well. And I mostly use the halo sleep sacks that have room for her legs to still move around. I think like a lot of things with parenting there are ways to do it right and ways to do it wrong.

I swaddled my daughter for maybe a week until I forgot to one day and she slept a lot better than she had been. Once I realized that I ended up putting her in a sleep sack with her arms free. She was able to move her legs in the sleep sack and move her hands outside of the sleep sack. For her- swaddling wasn't beneficial. For me I was happy because it was one less thing I had to worry about weaning her off of. (we didn't do bottles (we used cups), pacifiers, or swaddling and I think it all worked out in our favor. I know every kid is different but my niece needed all three and took forever (age three for bottles and pacifiers and age 1 for swaddling) to be able to sleep without those comfort items. For the record I am not judging anyone that does any of the above but for us I would rather deal with the beginning struggle of how to get them to soothe without those items than deal with the weaning process).

I swaddled my daughter for maybe a week until I forgot to one day and she slept a lot better than she had been. Once I realized that I ended up putting her in a sleep sack with her arms free. She was able to move her legs in the sleep sack and move her hands outside of the sleep sack. For her- swaddling wasn't beneficial. For me I was happy because it was one less thing I had to worry about weaning her off of. (we didn't do bottles (we used cups), pacifiers, or swaddling and I think it all worked out in our favor. I know every kid is different but my niece needed all three and took forever (age three for bottles and pacifiers and age 1 for swaddling) to be able to sleep without those comfort items. For the record I am not judging anyone that does any of the above but for us I would rather deal with the beginning struggle of how to get them to soothe without those items than deal with the weaning process).

I delivered at one of the hospitals mentioned in the article, and while the prenatal classes there taught swaddling and happiest baby methods, the actual nurses and lactation consultants once I delivered recommended a loose swaddle and that my son be allowed to comfort himself with his thumb. It worked for us. I had never heard of loose swaddling before.

I delivered at one of the hospitals mentioned in the article, and while the prenatal classes there taught swaddling and happiest baby methods, the actual nurses and lactation consultants once I delivered recommended a loose swaddle and that my son be allowed to comfort himself with his thumb. It worked for us. I had never heard of loose swaddling before.

I swaddled the first 8-10 weeks then it seemed she hated it so we stopped. She used to sleep longer back then now I wonder too. No issues with physical development. She is low weight but walking around 9.5 months. I think the "parents comfort not babies" thing is a bit ridiculous. The fact that babies are soothed by it shows it's for their comfort. I don't feel like I got anything out of it. She slept for 3-4 stretched back then and 2-3 hours now.

I swaddled the first 8-10 weeks then it seemed she hated it so we stopped. She used to sleep longer back then now I wonder too. No issues with physical development. She is low weight but walking around 9.5 months. I think the "parents comfort not babies" thing is a bit ridiculous. The fact that babies are soothed by it shows it's for their comfort. I don't feel like I got anything out of it. She slept for 3-4 stretched back then and 2-3 hours now.

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